Mehbooba Mufti, the President of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has addressed a letter to Manoj Sinha, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu Kashmir, after meeting a delegation of contractors recently blacklisted by the administration.
The letter expresses concern over the administration’s decision to blacklist contractors “on mere assumptions of links with militants.”
Mehbooba’s letter mentions that “the majority of the contractors blacklisted by the LG administration don’t have a militant past and have had no involvement in violent activities. Others had given up the path of militancy long before turning contractors.”
The letter also highlights the policy adopted by previous governments vis-a-vis those who gave up the path of violence and wanted to return to normal life.
“…their decision to do so was fraught with many dangerous consequences. Many were gunned down for making a choice that was viewed as a betrayal”, quotes the letter while describing the difficult transition of these contractors and others who shunned the gun.
In her letter, Mehbooba recalls that it was Mufti Mohammad Syed, the then Chief Minister of J&K, who advocated for financial aid to victims of militancy including the orphans of insurgents. The rehabilitation package was implemented during the tenure of PM Vajpayee.
Mehbooba, the former Chief Minister of J&K and the daughter of Late Mufti Mohammad Syed urged the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to reconsider his decision on humanitarian grounds.
She also captioned the photocopy of her letter in her tweet as: “Met a group of contractors who are suffering because they’ve been blacklisted by LG admin on trivial grounds. Urge @OfficeOfLGJandK& @AmitShah to reconsider a decision that will wreak havoc with the lives of innocents.”